1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an off-road vehicle.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Off-road vehicles known as buggies have a hydraulic brake system which is operated by a brake operating assembly including a brake master cylinder, a brake oil reservoir, and other members. These components of the brake operating assembly are disposed below a steering shaft. Therefore, a brake lever mounted on a steering handle and the brake master cylinder should be operatively interconnected by a complex connecting mechanism including a plurality of links and rods.
Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 60/134042 discloses an off-road vehicle having a frame comprising a pair of laterally spaced support pipes extending substantially horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a pair of laterally spaced main pipes extending over the support pipes substantially parallel to each other, and a plurality of rectangularly assembled front pipes having distal ends interconnecting the support and main pipes. A floor panel is attached to a front portion of the frame, and a steering column extends through the floor panel to a position below the floor panel. To the lower distal end of the steering column, there is coupled a central steering arm connected to the inner ends of tie rods. Since the central steering arm projects of necessity considerably downwardly from the frame, it is necessary to have a guard pipe extending rearwardly and downwardly from a lower portion of the front pipes for protecting the central steering arm from obstacles on the road.
Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 51/109519 also discloses an off-road vehicle. In this and above earlier off-road vehicles, the floor panel has an opening through which the steering column extends. With this arrangement, however, the steering system can be maintained or serviced only after the steering column has been disconnected from the tie rods and removed, and then the floor panel has been detached from the frame. Therefore, the efficiency of maintenance has been low.